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WhatsApp Expense Tracker with Multi-Input (Text, Image & Audio)

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Created by: Roshan Ramani || rawsun007

Roshan Ramani

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Last update 5 hours ago

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Description

CashMate – Your AI-Powered WhatsApp Finance Agent
Turn WhatsApp into a smart finance assistant that auto-registers you, logs transactions in natural language, extracts data from receipts and voice notes, and delivers instant report summaries—no apps, no charts, just lightning-fast insights in chat.

Who is this for?

  • Personal finance enthusiasts wanting effortless expense tracking
  • Freelancers & solopreneurs juggling multiple incomes and expenses
  • Small business owners needing quick bookkeeping on the go
  • Busy professionals who prefer messaging over apps
  • Privacy-minded users who host data on their own PostgreSQL

What problem does this solve?

  • Zero onboarding friction: Just send "Hi"—no forms, no sign-ups
  • No app switching: Track everything right inside WhatsApp
  • Manual entry eliminated: Natural-language, image, and voice input all auto-parsed
  • Instant summaries: On-demand report requests—no dashboards to navigate

How it works

Auto-Registration

  • New users: "Hi" → Creates your profile in PostgreSQL
  • Returning users: Bypasses creation if your number already exists

Intent Classification routes every message into one of five branches:

Reports & Summaries

  • Triggers on keywords like "today's report," "show May vs June," or "summary."
  • Returns concise text summary of income, expenses, and net balance.

Natural-Language Transactions

  • Messages like "Give 200 to Mukesh for car repair" → AI extracts date, category, amount, payee → logs it.

Receipt OCR

  • Attach a receipt image → Gemini OCR node reads line-items → AI categorizes and logs.

Voice-Driven Logging

  • Send a voice note → Deepgram node transcribes → AI logs transaction.

General Chat & Greetings

  • "Hi," "Hello," or casual finance questions → Routed to chat branch for greetings or tips.

Setup

Prerequisites

  • n8n instance (self-hosted or n8n.cloud, v1.0+)
  • WhatsApp Business Cloud API credentials
  • PostgreSQL database (host, port, user, password)
  • OpenRouter/OpenAI API key for NLP
  • Gemini API key for OCR
  • Deepgram API key for voice transcription

Quick Start

  1. Import CashMate.n8n.json into n8n.
  2. Rename nodes to suit your environment.
  3. Configure Credentials in n8n's Credentials section—avoid hard-coding keys.
  4. Activate workflow and message "Hi" from WhatsApp.
  5. Test by sending a sample expense text, image receipt, or voice note.

Note: All detailed setup instructions and deep configuration steps are provided in the sticky notes within the template.

How to Customize

  • Categories & Currencies: Edit parsing logic in the Function nodes.
  • AI Models: Swap OpenAI/OpenRouter for GPT-4, Claude, or self-hosted alternatives.
  • Multi-User Support: Extend registration logic to tag team or family accounts.
  • Additional Features: Add budget alerts, multi-currency support, or bank integrations via Plaid.

Example Interactions

1. Text Transaction

User: 300 given to James for the coffee  
CashMate: ✅ Transaction Added:
   • Date:          2025-06-24  
   • Category:      Coffee & Beverages  
   • Type:          Expense  
   • Amount:        ₹300.00  
   • Counterparty:  James

2. Receipt Image (OCR)

User: [sends image of café bill totaling ₹450]  
CashMate: ✅ Transaction Added:
   • Date:          2025-06-24  
   • Category:      Coffee & Beverages  
   • Type:          Expense  
   • Amount:        ₹450.00  
   • Counterparty:  Café Aroma

3. Voice Transaction

User: [voice note: "Paid 650 rupees for office stationery"]  
CashMate: ✅ Transaction Added:
   • Date:          2025-06-24  
   • Category:      Office Supplies  
   • Type:          Expense  
   • Amount:        ₹650.00  
   • Counterparty:  (none)